Three of us -- Lena, Lore, and Marney -- started Simplicity Matters Earth Institute in 2004 as an offshoot of the Chesapeake Earth Institute, with whom we'd been working since 2002. We are fellow travelers who wanted to share with others what we were learning on this path.

Today we are more than 30 committed volunteers, a disperse group located all over the state of Maryland and Washington, DC. We believe that real change happens within small groups engaging in deep conversations about things that really matter.

We are headed by a steering committee of seven who meets every two months. None of us have formal titles, and we operate in an egalitarian fashion. Lore, Marney and Lena -- "the pollinators" -- comprise our executive branch.

We are part of the Northwest Earth Institute Sister Network. We organize discussion circles based on their discussion guides, in addition to programs of our own that foster community such as our monthly forums, our monthly announcement, and our online venues